


Sorry

by forever_doodling_tardises



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, House of Hades Spoilers, M/M, Sadness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-23
Updated: 2014-02-23
Packaged: 2018-01-13 13:53:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1228861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forever_doodling_tardises/pseuds/forever_doodling_tardises
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loss is a constant when you're a demigod. This fact is exacerbated for the Seven on August 1st, the day of both the Feast of Spes and the final battle with Gaea, just as the demigods finally get the upper hand in the battle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sorry

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like the title is half to do with the plot and half apology for the fic. :,D  
> This is my first post, so please let me know via comment if anything is mis-tagged (for instance, I'm not sure if I should tag it Percico) or whatnot. Anyways, hope you enjoy! ::3

**Percy**

The battle, Percy thought, was close to over, and they were winning. Finally, he thought, something had gone right; the Fates had decided to give them a chance. That was before he heard the racking cough from behind him. He whirled around and spotted Nico, half-curled on the ground, with blood pouring from a gut wound. Nico’s hand reached out as if to grab hold of Percy, as if that would keep him in the world of the living. Percy rushed over to Nico and knelt beside him, worry prominent on his face. “Shit, man, what happened?” He started to gather Nico in his arms. “We gotta get you patched up. Annabeth would know something–or one of the Apollo kids–”

“No,” Nico said, surprisingly forcefully. “Don’t get Annabeth. Not now. It’s okay.”

“What? No it’s not!”

“I’ve got no life here. Not with the living. I’m broken and I can’t be fixed.”

“Don’t say that.”

"Sometimes people die who should really have lived," he said, and Percy could see that he was thinking of Bianca. "And sometimes people like me die.”

“That’s not–“

“Yes it is. I have nothing here worth living for.”

“No. There’s always something worth living for.”

“Not for me. You were the only thing I had left in this world, and I was really just lying to myself about that, too.”

“What do you mean?” Confusion registered on Percy’s face now.

“Percy, before I die–”

The word sounded harsh and loud. “Don’t say that,” Percy repeated.

“No, I’m going to say it, because it’s real and it’s happening. It was going to happen anyways, this is just someone else doing the job for me.” Nico was smiling. Of all things, _smiling_. “Before I die,” he went on, “I want you to know that I love you. Not Annabeth, you blind fool. _You_.” His voice was becoming ragged and weak. “I love you and I have almost since we met, and you have no idea how painful that has been for me. Seeing you oblivious, and then so happy with her, it just – it was one more thing that broke me. I don’t exactly blame you, I just wanted you to know…I don’t know why, but I did.” He was slipping away, Percy could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes. “I love you.”

And then he was gone. All the sound of the battle seemed to soften and blur, until it was just the two of them on their sort of island. One word fell from Percy’s lips. “Sorry.”

More followed the one, with a tear to match every word. “I didn’t take care of you or Bianca, and I’m sorry for that. I couldn’t save you – couldn’t fix you – and I’m sorry for that.  I didn’t notice, and I’m sorry for that. I couldn’t feel the same, and I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry.” Percy rocked Nico – Nico’s body – in his arms, tears falling onto Nico’s jacket. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Eventually, the others came over. First Annabeth, sensing something was wrong, hurried over to where Percy was still sitting. “Hey, seaweed brain. The battle’s over. We–” she saw Nico and was stunned into silence for a moment. “–Won.” She sank down on her knees next to Percy, putting an arm around him. “Oh, Percy.”

“Nico?” Hazel’s worried voice, accompanied by Frank’s heavy footfalls, announced the arrival of two more to the gathering of mourners. “Oh my gods. Nico!” She rushed over to where they huddled together, three bodies and two people. “Is he–?”

“Yes,” Percy answered, not being able to bring himself to say the word.

“What’s going on? Why is everyone over here?” Leo’s voice now. Three walking together this time: Jason, looking battered and bruised but okay, Piper, holding her right arm in her left, clumsily holding Katoptris in her left hand, and with her hair looking like something had sheared half of it off (something probably had), and Leo, limping and looking downtrodden. “Oh my gods,” he said, unknowingly echoing Hazel. “What happened?”

“He lost too much,” Percy said simply.

“Blood?” Leo asked.

“That too.”


End file.
